Africa’s Geography
Review
How Big is Africa?
Mercator Map
Review
How Big is Africa?
Peters Map
How Big is Africa?
• Second largest continent on Earth
• Second biggest population
• Over 1 billion people, 800+ ethnicities
• Ex. Arabs, Asians, Europeans
• Over 1,000 languages
• 40 have over 1 million speakers
Africa’s Climate
• Very diverse!
• Mediterranean climate, mountain climate,
desert, sub-tropical, tropical, temperate,
rainforest
Africa’s Climate
• 90% of Africa lies between “Tropics”
• Between Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer
• No dramatic change in seasons
• Hottest average temperature in world?
• Ethiopia, 93.9° F
• Hottest temperature ever?
• El Azizia, Libya, 136° F
Africa’s Physical Geography
• 15% of Africa = desert
• Biggest desert in Africa?
• SAHARA! (Arabic for desert)
• ~4 million people live there
Africa’s Physical Geography
• Below the Sahara = “Sahel”
• Semi-arid land
• Sits between Sahara & tropical forests
Africa’s Physical Geography
• Below Sahel = Africa’s rainforest
• 15% of Africa, covers 37 countries!
• Annual rainfall up to 17 feet
• Home to ½ of all animals in Africa
• Rainforest is disappearing
Africa’s Physical Geography
• Below rainforest = savanna
• Rolling grasslands
• Most famous area = Serengeti
• Only place migrations still occur with
wildebeest and zebras
Dominant Physical Features
• Much of Africa is a plateau
• Elevated flat surface
• Most of Africa is above 1,000 feet elevation
• Number of basins (depression) in plateaus
• Location for rivers/lakes
Dominant Physical Features
• Rift Valleys (Eastern Africa)
• Continental plates moving apart
• Creates long valleys
• Location for large lakes & rivers
Dominant Physical Features
• Many volcanic mountains
• Biggest mountain?
• Mt. Kilimanjaro
• 19,340 feet – highest point in Africa
Dominant Physical Features
• Lots of rivers in Africa
• Many waterfalls, rapids, gorges
• Many not useful for transportation
• Impact on historic travel in Africa?
• Impact on Africa’s economy today?
Africa’s 3 Big River Basins
• Largest river in world?
• Nile (4,100 miles long)
• Flows through Uganda, Sudan, Egypt
• 2nd biggest in Africa
• Congo River basin (2,720 Miles Long)
• 32 waterfalls!
• 3rd Biggest = Niger River basin
• 2,600 miles long
Africa’s Natural Resources
• Very rich in natural resources
• Gold, platinum, diamonds, etc.
• Most profitable resource today?
• Oil
• Second most profitable?
• Coffee
• 10% of world’s production
• Most important economic activity?
• Farming (occupation of ~2/3 of Africa)